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Newly marked queens acting crazy

Over the weekend we inspected all of our hives. During the inspections, we decided to mark any queens we found. I found one queen in the second box up and marked her and she looked fine. After inspecting the entire second box for queen cells, I lifted it off and inspected the lowest box which was mostly empty combs. When I lifted off the bottom box to clean the bottom board, the newly-marked queen was down on the bottom board and actually crawled to the outside of it before I herded her back in and put the hive back to together. During the short time between when I marked her and completed my inspection, she had dropped or been forced down to the bottom. Thought that was very strange.

I found another queen a couple of hives later and marked her, inspected the complete hive and put it back together.

Two hives later, when I lifted off the top box after inspecting it, I saw a ball of bees on top of a frame of the next box and it looked they were balling a queen. Sure enough, when I got them split up, they were killing one of my newly-marked queens from another hive. Obviously, she had flown out after I marked her and had landed on the other open hive. She wasn't dead and I put her back in the hive I think she came from but know she's probably doomed.

Has anyone seen this happen? The newly marked queens acting crazy? I'm using a regular marking pen from one of the supply places and I couldn't detect any odor from the pen at all. The queen isn't injured after I've marked her and I let her crawl around enough to dry the paint. The paint isn't anywhere but where it should be on her. This is the first time we've tried marking queens and I was very happy with how easy it was. But it's not worth it if they flee the hive as soon as they're marked.

Re: Newly marked queens acting crazy

I have marked many queens over the past few years. I have once or twice had a queen "faint", seem to be dead or dying, only to revive in a few minutes. I have used several different brands of markers. I like to use ones with water based paints, and let them dry thoroughly before returning the queens to her bees.

It may happen sometimes as you describe, though I haven't yet noticed. I do, sometimes, have virgins enter hives, other than their own. They are sometimes killed by the resident queen or balled by the workers there. And, sometimes they manage to kill the resident queen (if there is one), and take over as the resident queen.

Marking is part of my process, I mark queens when they have begun to lay, and keep track of a colonies queen-state by marking it with colored thumbtacks. That makes it easier to know when any of these musical queen shenanigans has taken place. So, when I find a nuc with a marked, laying queen, when they should only have an unmarked virgin, I know that later I'll likely find one of my marked queens missing from her colony. Usually that would be a colony immediately adjacent to that affected nuc/colony, but not always.

Re: Newly marked queens acting crazy

Thanks for the info. I can accept that maybe the first queen "fainted" and fell to the bottom. But it doesn't explain why another marked queen flew out and landed on an open hive I was inspecting and got herself balled.

I'm using a water-based marking pen with no odor. I think I ordered it from Kelleys.

Re: Newly marked queens acting crazy

Yes, I have had it happen. When I have had it happen it was on newly mated queens. I think the bees get upset about the inspection and take it out on the new queen. The few times I had it happen I was probably checking on them too much. It happened on some of my first splits and I was constantly checking on them and once I finally started seeing eggs I went to mark the queen. They immediately stated balling her. I caught her and put her in a queen cage for a few days and then let her go. Everything was fine after that. I now let the queens lay for a while before I mark them.

Re: Newly marked queens acting crazy

That's interesting. But these are all queens that have been in the hives since last fall. And it was the first full inspection of the year, so I don't think I was bothering them too much. We really want to get all of our queens marked with this years color, even though they've been in there since last year. But I'm afraid to mark any more if they're going to flee their thrones!

And to answer deknow's question, no paint anywhere but a small dot on the thorax.

Re: Newly marked queens acting crazy

None of our queens have been marked to this point in time. We are just trying to get every queen in every hive marked so will know if they replace her any time from here forward. I don't see any point in going back and marking our queens that were already in there with last year's color. Of course we'll switch to next year's color next spring.

Re: Newly marked queens acting crazy

I crushed my new laying queen that she got in a shock inside the marking tube. All legs and body crunched together
all jittering. Thought she was a gonner. But a little royal jelly does wonder for her after releasing her back into the hive.
She's all good now. So I am very reluctant to mark the other 5 queens now.
If you want to continue to mark your queen, I think it is better not to direct release her after marking her. She may be
in shock and disoriented after the marking. Or from the handling of her. How do you catch her anyway?
Let the paint dry inside a small queen cage first. Then release her after the paint had dried out and the worker bees
starting to recognize her again the next day. This way she is all refreshed and not walking out the hive all disillusioned.

Re: Newly marked queens acting crazy

I love these threads that go crazy..the man had /has a problem and is looking for advice / help....I don't think it was the color of paint....most females would love to be thought to be a year younger....